Canberra archbishop speaks out over treatment of asylum seekers

Published: 28 February 2014

The Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn, Christopher Prowse, has spoken out about public attitudes towards asylum seekers, reports The Canberra Times.

Speaking at a church service at St Christopher's Cathedral in Manuka on Wednesday night, Archbishop Prowse said he felt 'sick in the stomach' when he heard an asylum seeker, later revealed to be 23-year-old Iranian man Reza Barati, had been killed on Manus Island.

He said he was concerned about the lack of humanity in the public portrayal of asylum seeker arrivals. 'At least in the past we saw people on boats coming to Australia, even if they weren't able to stay here. Now, we only hear reports, no photography, we don't even see human faces of people struggling.'

Archbishop Prowse said he wondered what was happening at the Manus Island detention centre that caused such a great deal of desperation and hopelessness among asylum seekers. He said the Australian Government had an important duty to protect the country's borders, but that needed to be balanced against its international responsibilities to those seeking refuge.

'I'm just waving an ethical and moral reservation about how it's all going,' he said.